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wo-time champions Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia enjoyed a smooth opener at the 2018 China Open BWF World Tour Super 1000, defeating Yuki Kaneko and Misaki Matsutomo of Japan on Tuesday.

World number three pair Tontowi and Liliyana easily outclassed the Japanese duo 21-7, 21-16 in 21 minutes.

It was the first time for Tontowi and Liliyana to face Kaneko and Matsumoto, a newly formed pair. The Japanese players usually play in women’s and men’s doubles events, respectively.

“The Japanese players are known for doing trial and error. They like to form new pairs as a means to warm up, or simply to look for more possibilities in their formation. Up to now, Japan only has one stable pair, which is Yuta [Watanabe] and Arisa [Higashino],” Liliyana, who won the China Open in 2013 and 2016 with Tontowi, said in a statement.

On their way to securing a third title, the Indonesian pair has mastered a trick to handle the heavier shuttlecock usually used in the China Open.

“The heavy shuttle does affect the play, but we can’t just [do nothing] about it. Instead, we have to find a way to master the shuttle, which requires more power. However, our opponents will also play in full power, so we have to be smart in deciding our playing pattern,” Liliyana said.

In the second round, Tontowi and Liliyana will face Japan’s Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino, who defeated Indonesia’s Hafiz Faizal and Gloria Emmanuelle Widjaja in the first round.